Tired Heroes
by Noctis Empress
Summary: Cloud comes home exhausted after several long days doing nothing but deliveries. What will Tifa do? A small ficlet containing two of our favorite heroes. Nothing major. Definitely Cloti. Oneshot. Timeline: a few months after ACC


The moon hung low over the 7th Heaven bar. Denzel and Marlene were already both tucked safely in their beds and Tifa had already gone through their nightly ceremonies. Reading their favourite stories for them before she wished them both a good night. Said raven haired martial artist were now currently to be found downstairs in the livingroom, seated on their couch as she stitched Marlene's favourite toy -a chocobo plushie she had gotten from Cloud- back together. A small tear just beneath its wing had had the six year old cry out in distress, worried that Cloud would be upset if he found out since he had been the one to get it for her.

Tifa as the mindful guardian she were, had been quick to reassure the six year old little girl, saying that Cloud wasn't one to get upset over such a small thing, and to make it all better she promised the little brunet that she would fix it. Just before Cloud would be finished with his deliveries and return home for the day.

And so here she found herself, stitching the yellow, soft plush toy back together. Keeping an ear out for the children or more importantly; the guttural drone of a powerful motorcycle announcing that someone special had finally found his way home.

The needle slipped through the soft fabric with practised ease, knitting together the ruined area as if it had never been there in the first place, and Tifa was almost too preoccupied with its flow to notice the slow stop of a vehicle just outside her door, shortly followed by that very same door sliding open before slowly being closed. Deliberate and cautious as if the one who slipped through it didn't wanted to disturb anyone.

Tifa quickly threw a glance over her shoulder, smiling when she heard the familiar padding of leather boots over hardwood floor, knowing that he was headed in her direction. She didn't bother with hiding the plush toy away. Cloud would notice it anyway and besides, only three more stitches were needed. Then she would look it over, and just when she was happy with the result she would secure the tread.

Blond, soft spikes appeared in her peripheral and the martial artist's smile widened, knowing that he was looking at her and what she was doing. "You are early." Tifa remarked without taking her eyes from her task. "Did something happen?"

She waited patiently for an answer and when the young swordsman just sighed and moved to sit down beside her on the couch she knew immediately that something was wrong. Something bothered him. Growing concerned she put the almost patched up chocobo plushie aside and turned towards him so she could face him fully.

She didn't like what she was seeing.

"Cloud?" she said in concern, gently cupping his cheek with a hand as she studied his face more carefully. He looked tired. More than usual and he eyed her wearily. As if he hadn't slept well in days.

Tifa's maternal instinct didn't agree to this and as if controlled by its own will, her hand flew up to feel his forehead, fearing that he, despite the mako in his system, might have caught on to a fever. Luckily, he hadn't.

"What happened?"

Cloud shrugged "Just a bad costumer," His normally swirling blue eyes seemed to grow even more weary, glazing over with fatigue, "Said something about reclaiming my payment if my next delivery wasn't good enough...or something." Cloud finished in a mumble, centring his gaze loosely down at his lap. "...He wasn't the only one." He muttered tiredly and Tifa couldn't fail to notice that he wavered a little. Even while seated.

"Cloud, when did you last sleep? I know you have been away for a few days, but, even someone like you needs to pace themselves and just sleep for a while, right?"

Cloud just shrugged again, blinking sluggishly. "...I don't know." A pause, then his sleep deprived brain seemed to have caught on to something. "I'll be in the shower."

But before the young swordsman could move or protest however, Tifa had already taken hold of his right arm and tugged him straight back down to the couch, but the surprise didn't stop there. Before he could even blink the same dark haired woman had urged him to lay down onto her lap. His head cradled just in the middle of her soft but yet firm thighs, his blond spikes bending against the rough fabric of her shorts softly.

He could only look up at her perplexed.

"You are tired, Cloud." Tifa explained softly, tugging at his pants so he would lift his legs up onto the couch as they both currently dangled limply over the side, laying in quite an awkward position until he hesitantly obeyed and hefted them onto the couch so he was laying flat out on his back. He still seemed to be immensely puzzled though.

"But-"

"No buts Cloud." Tifa cut him off sharply. "Just sleep. I'm here." She gently started to run her fingers through his soft spikes, resisting the urge to smile when her touch had the desired effect. His eyes had already started to droop shut by her first caress, and even as he fought sleep Tifa knew it was a loosing one. For each tender stroke with her hand, he drifted further and further into the blissful unconsciousness that was sleep and Tifa continued this progress until she was sure he was sleeping both soundly and peacefully.

She smiled warmly at his sleeping figure, admiring how he looked in his utter relaxation, happy that she had been the one to invoke it. Although a bit forcefully.

"I'm sorry Cloud," She muttered apologetically, still running her hand caressingly through his spikes. "I just don't want you to collapse when you clearly are so tired you can barely stay seated without toppling over." She trailed the hand she had kept buried in his spikes down along the side of his face until she found his cheek, resting it there as she stroked it gently with her thumb.

"You've been through a few tiresome days haven't you?" She hesitated a bit, knowing that she wouldn't get any answer. He was asleep after all, but even so she still asked it. "...So what do you say? Shall we take tomorrow off?"

As she expected she didn't get any response, and she was about to reach over for the unfinished plush toy to finish the task, when he suddenly leant into her touch, catching her by surprise. She looked down at him, only to have her lips crack up into a smile when all he did was to mumble something unintelligible before he tilted his head slightly to the side. Coming to rest just by her abdomen. He stilled then, breathing a contented sigh before he sank back into dreamland.

With a small shake of her head she gathered the soft plush toy back into her hands. Smile still on her features as she freed the needle from where she had secured it.

"I'll take that as a yes then, Cloud." She said with slight tinge of humour in her voice, enjoying the feel of his warmth and weight against her, finding it reassuring somehow. As it always did whenever he came home from a long day or absence doing nothing but deliveries. Tired or not, she still found him beautiful and even as she looked down at him she could never deny herself that she had fallen in love with this man. No matter how stubborn or indecisive she knew him to be.

And she wouldn't want it any other way.

There! The thin needle slipped through the soft fabric one last time and after looking the stitches over and examining her work, she secured the tread and freed the needle from its confinement and placed it safely beside the newly repaired chocobo plushie on a small table just beside the couch. Marlene would be overjoyed when she would see it coming morning, and Tifa could already imagine her joyous smiles when she would show it to Cloud. As if to prove that she had taken really _really_ good care of it.

Tifa giggled a little at that, knowing that Cloud really wouldn't have been upset if he noticed, but better let children's matters be. As long as Marlene would be happy she would be happy. Her cheerful little smile would be more than enough.

She looked down at Cloud again, smiling when he still slept on undisturbed. Blissfully unaware of everything around him there he dozed away on her lap. She might as well just sleep downstairs for the night since she really didn't wanted to wake him when he slept so peacefully, and trying to get him to move about now would (by experience) definitely wake him.

She allowed herself to settle down instead then. Making herself comfortable on their soft, slightly worn out couch, tucking a pillow behind her head. She knew that Cloud had locked the door after himself. A newly imprinted habit of his, and she had done well to check that everything was turned off and well before she had entered the living-room.

Finally feeling both safe and content she reached over for the lamp resting just at the corner of their couch, switching it off before she buried one hand into Cloud's soft, reassuring spikes. Sifting through them gently as she let herself slowly being lulled to sleep.

His warm breath fanned against the exposed skin of her abdomen, and she sighed, feeling her pent up weariness wash over her. Just like her childhood friend she too had endured some tiresome days. Which included her ever present worry over his safety whenever he was out, and of course it was the tasks that followed when you had put upon yourself the duties necessary to be able to host a bar. As well as kicking out overly noisy or drunken patrons whenever they grew too boisterous or violent. She guessed that them both really could use a break, and a break they would get. That would she surely make sure off.

For while some people might think of them as heroes or invincible. Being a never ending source of reassurance and raw willpower, they had their limits too. Limits they only made apparent once in a while, but only to a select few, which of course consisted of Cloud's clients and her customers but other than that, just their friends.

_Because,_ Tifa thought wryly. _Even heroes can grow tired._


End file.
